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Do You Take Yourself Out of the Picture Because You’re LGBT?

Some LGBT people still try to keep their identities a secret from their families. This may be due to deep religious beliefs their families hold, lack of open mindedness, and the pall of irrational hatred. Because of internalized homophobia, LGBT people can decide to remove ourselves from our families, even if family members are accepting and loving. Then, if we have an addiction on top of our lifestyle, our shame can be compounded. We think we are being self protective by taking ourselves out of the picture. We may even project our internalized homophobia and shame onto our families.

Perhaps we never thought about it this way, but when we remove ourselves, we are robbing ourselves of love, and robbing our family of love, too. They are deprived of knowing who we are in the world and our beautiful nature. They want to see us and love us, but we squirrel ourselves away. Sometimes self protection can work against us.

Now, as we face an addiction, we need support more than ever. We can use this opportunity to reach out to our families and let them know we love and care about them, and we need their help. Invite them to the Family Program at the rehab to begin rekindling your relationship. There’s lots to discuss and feelings to reveal in this kind of setting.

Old wounds and hurt feeling may pop up and need to be aired and understood from both your perspective and your family’s. Your parents and siblings may have feelings about you to divulge. You may feel misunderstood, but Family Programs are safe places to air feelings and carry on with loving one another.

Reaching out takes courage, and you’ve already shown your mettle by admitting you have an addiction. You may have survived loneliness, homophobia, and rejection. This isn’t meant as a pep talk, but to encourage LGBT people to paint yourself back into the picture of life, in bright and beautiful colors.

Serenity Oaks provides an intensive 5 week program to support your sobriety and recovery from addiction. We aim to provide a space where you can find out how and why you have struggled with addiction. Our therapeutic and medical support are just one of the tools we provide to help set you up for success in recovery. Call us to find out how we can help you get started: 844-396-8526.